


A poor man with the world in his hands

by Kolurize



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Angst, Death, Grian is a bro and nothing more, Jealousy, M/M, Scar is... almost suave, but respawning is a thing so dw, cub panics a lot in this, pining...?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23594218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kolurize/pseuds/Kolurize
Summary: Cub thinks he needs to be rich to have Scar's attention. Also he's jealous of how much Scar talks about Grian's hijinks.Scar disagrees.
Relationships: Cub/Scar
Comments: 27
Kudos: 184





	A poor man with the world in his hands

**Author's Note:**

> Usual Hermitcraft fandom warning of *This is Minecraft Personas Only* etc etc applies. Don't antis ever get tired?

Cub hit the ground hard, his forward momentum sending him careening forward in a painful, rocky tumble across the path. The force knocked all the wind out of his body and he let out a pained wheeze as he rolled to a stop. He took a moment to gather his wits about him, accepting the face full of dirt with resignation. Half a heart, but he’d live. His elytra, though… not his elytra!

Cub scrambled to sit up and inspect his wings. A mental chant of nonono reverberated in his head as he cradled the broken elytra in his hands. It was his only pair, bought with the little money he could gather and repaired perhaps way beyond the contraption’s capacity. At this point, it was no wonder the patchwork of phantom membranes broke apart at the seams, but Cub had hoped it would at least last this final trip back home.

“Aw, man,” he giggled, because he didn’t know what else to do except burst into tears. His measly 10 diamonds wouldn’t get him another elytra, and the End was looted up to the ears. He’d need to wander the void for days to find another set of wings, or… well. His get rich schemes all seemed to fail so far. Quartz wasn’t selling too much, and the head game had barely begun. He’d sold all of two stacks of quarts altogether which didn’t even cover his costs to open the shop, while hunting for heads was taking up all his free time otherwise. Thirty-two diamond blocks was nothing to sneeze at, especially when he barely had one.

To put it simply, he was broke. And that was his last elytra. And he was in the middle of nowhere.

Great.

Cub stood up with a wince. His legs had taken the brunt of that fall, but if he didn’t get moving he would be stranded in the middle of nowhere for the night, which was a bad idea on a good day. Today was not a good day.

He took a look around - yep, unfamiliar mountains, - and checked his coordinates. Then he took out his communicator.

_< Cubfan135> What is the closest nether portal to xxxx, zzzz?_

And he waited. To cover some ground in the meanwhile, he oriented himself towards 0,0 and started his halting trek on foot. It didn’t help that he’d tumbled high up on the mountain, and his every step was fairly precarious. And it was cold, so so cold. He had some armor on him, but no chestplate, and while his pharaoh bling looked fantastic, it did nothing to pad the armor properly, so every breeze that passed sent a shiver wracking through his body. His communicator beeped about 30 blocks later, the message unfortunately being not as informative as Cub had hoped.

_< GoodTimesWithScar> Is everythng ok, Cub?_

Cub froze, his blood chilling in his veins. Of all people who could have replied, Scar? He was the last person Cub wanted to see him like this.

_< Cubfan135> yeah, just got a bit turned around_

  
He hoped with this he would alleviate suspicion and get an answer to his question. Somehow, even after this long with the hermits, their tendencies evaded him sometimes, and he was unprepared for the answer.

_< GoodTimesWithScar> Oh I have just the thing! Have you evr tried my wizards fruit? I’ll be rihgt there_

_< Cubfan135> no no, it’s fine, I just need nether coords_

But his message arrived a split second too late- there was a vwoop and a crash nearby, Scar’s magic fruit teleporting him to the coordinates instantaneously. Cub closed his eyes and stilled his breath. Should he feel resignation? Was this how the cat got out of the bag once and for all? Or was this the time to frantically think of explanations, of excuses, of- of-

Cub blanked. He wasn’t sure if he should turn around, to face Scar’s cheery greeting. Should he say anything? Surely his voice would be a dead giveaway. He felt the lump in his throat and he knew if he spoke now his voice would be the same pitch it got when he watched projects crash and burn, the sound of choked back tears and self-loathing covered by a thin veneer of a smile. Showtime.

“Hey, Scar,” Cub smiled thinly, turning around. That took swivelling on his bad leg and thus it took a few seconds and a couple grunts of pain, but the extra time gave Cub just enough room for his brain to start overthinking instead. With his fumbling turn he managed to stuff the pieces of his elytra in his bag, covering it up as dexterously as his frozen fingers would allow, and pushed the bag behind his back. Scar watched him with a concerned frown on his face, taking a few steps forward.

“Cub…? Is everything okay?”

“Yes! Yeah, everything’s fineeee,” Cub dragged, trying to find his normal pitch. How could he forget the way he usually talks? In front of Scar, no less? “Just taking a stroll.”

“With no elytra?”

“Ah, well, hm,” the cogs in Cub’s brain turned, and turned, and turned. “It, kinda, broke. And I’m not carrying my spare on me.” _Because I don’t have one._

“Oh, well you should’ve said so,” Scar exclaimed, a brilliant grin lighting up his face and taking Cub’s breath away. How long has it been that Cub’s been chasing this sun, pulled into orbit by the sheer radiance of the builder, doomed to always circle and never get too close?

Scar fished his bag for an enderchest and plonked it on the ground, diving into its depths to unearth some loot. Meanwhile, he started up a conversation, more akin to a monologue with the way Cub kept silent, words lost into the void.

“I always carry a spare one with me, you know how I tend to die a lot. You’d think I’ve had to use it tons, but- well, okay, I did. But I’ve somehow managed not to lose my original elytra, you know- the one Grian got me when we went to the End. We recently built a gunpowder farm, you know…”

And on he went, but Cub wasn’t listening anymore. Grian. Again, Scar was talking about Grian and _all the projects they had together_ , and _all the time they spent together_ , and Grian this, and Grian that. Cub had to fight to unclench his jaw and school his expression into a happy attentive listener. He loved listening to Scar ramble about things, but not… not like this. Not about Grian.

There was a feeling ballooning in his chest, squeezing his heart and lungs until he couldn't. He couldn’t take it anymore. He was cold and in pain and miserable, and Scar was rambling about _Grian_ again, and he just saw red.

But, his heart stuttered, how long? How many more projects would fail before his eyes before he became rich again, before Scar was his again? How much more would he have to grit his teeth and listen to talk about Grian before Scar looked his way again? Why, his heart cried, why was Scar there when all Cub wanted was to scutter home and lick his wounds for the day before he went back on the grind tomorrow.

“-b? Cub?”

Abruptly, Cub was brought back to the present by Scar’s concerned call. He realized the world was the fainest bit blurrier than he remembered. Ahh. Not now, _please_. He looked up, registering Scar hovering in front of him lightly with an extra pair of elytra clutched in his hands. Cub breathed, one, two, but the blood was still pumping in his ears like drums, and whatever Scar said was lost to the wind. The elytra was outstretched towards him and Cub twitched towards it, but hesitated.

Was Scar really the one looking after him, now? Had he really fallen so far that the one person he wanted to take care of, had to tend to him instead? Why was he such a failure, a pharaoh of no man’s land, bathing in riches of imaginary depths, watching his one desire grow closer to another?

He needed to get away.

His eyes darted to the drop next to them. He didn’t hold much in his inventory, his few valuables were in enderchest. It would be painful, and respawning was never a fun process, but…

Cub jumped.

Well, he tumbled. More specifically, he leaned all his weight on his bad leg abruptly, and the pain jolted him sideways into overbalancing over the edge. Scar gasped and threw the elytra to the safe side, stretching out a hand just a moment too late: Cub was already hurtling down the steep mountainside at breakneck speeds.

There was ice where the wind bladed into him and fire where he slammed on rocks, and the ground was far, far, far below but it was yawning its maw towards him hungrily. Cub tucked into himself by instinct, although it wouldn’t help - not with a drop like this. And then-

Then he woke up back at his base, in pain six ways to Sunday. But hey, at least he got away.

His communicator dinged. His respawn didn’t take too long, but there was already a throng of “rip” in the chat under the message _Cub fell from a high place_ , and then, _then_ Scar wrote a concerning line.

_< GoodTimesWithScar> Oh no! I’ll bring your stuff bck to your base, don’t wrry!_

Cub let his head fall back on the pillow. Please, world, let him rest. He would sob if he had the energy left after respawning, but as it stood, he could only burrow under the covers and hope Scar would come and go, and Cub would be rendered invisible to the man, just for today. Just once this season, please let things go his way.

And the universe said-.

“ _Cub_!”

-no.

Scar stood at the entrance of the pyramid, lit up by the setting sun in a dark figure of pure worry. He was hauling a shulker box with him, probably containing all of Cub’s meagre belongings. Cub wanted to sink into the ground, fold himself out of existence, but he was a sturdy man - Scar saw him at once, and rushed to his bedside.

“That was scary,” he babbled, setting down the box on the ground. “It was a rough tumble there, Cub. I- how. How are you feeling?”

There was a moment when Scar’s voice cracked, just for a short second. Cub licked his lips and looked away, deliberating the question. How _was_ he feeling? Sad? Hurt? In pain? Desperate? Or maybe-

A soft hand caressed his cheek and turned his face to the side, abruptly cutting off his train of thought when the trajectory ended with a velvety pair of lips. Cub inhaled sharply - surprise-shock-confusion - and _melted_. It wasn’t trumpets and fireworks, but the blood rushed in his ears and thundered victoriously, and the tension in his body leaked out with a content hum. It’s been so, so long that when Scar started retreating, Cub twisted a fist in the wizard’s robes and _pulled_.

Scar tumbled to a seated position on the bed with a chuckle of pure happiness, indulging the needy kiss with as much enthusiasm. Cub almost didn’t want to separate. If they could stay like that forever, just locked in an embrace, no distance between them, no diamonds, no _Grian_ , no… if only.

Cub reeled back at last, leaving them both gasping and panting. Scar had a goofy smile on his face and Cub almost wanted to mirror it- but his thoughts pulled his lips downwards.

“W- why?”

Scar frowned.

“What do you mean, why? I missed you.”

Oh. _Oh_ , he still thought that Cub--

“I’m not…” he hesitated. Should he say it? Was Scar here because he’d deemed Cub rich enough again? “Scar, I can’t- I can’t take care of you yet. I’m not rich, I- I need more _time_ …”

Scar looked at him quizzically. There was a moment of processing, and then Scar would surely leap to his feet and find an excuse to leave. Cub waited with bated breath, his heart hammering away in his throat, until at length, Scar began… Scar began laughing uproariously.

Cub wasn’t sure what the wizard found funny, but he felt the rush of red to his cheeks the more the wizard laughed. He trembled in place, not sure what to do in the face of- of mockery? Amusement? Derision?

“Did- did you think I was with you for the _money_ ,” Scar wheezed at last, finding his composure. Cub fumbled with his words.

“Well. I mean.” He took a deep breath, bracing himself against the embarrassment. “You loved it when I helped you unconditionally. And this season so far…” He trailed off meaningfully.

There was a click of understanding on Scar’s face and he fell serious. Cub felt the solemnity fall around Scar’s shoulders like an old cloak - worn but rarely used nowadays, and he instinctively paid attention.

“Cub, I love _you_ , money or no,” he caressed Cub’s cheek softly. “As for the season so far - I thought we’d both be busy with getting started, starter houses and mega projects and just getting settled in a new world… We couldn’t very well keep boating back and forth all the time while getting started, right?”

Scar was making sense. But to Cub, it sounded like excuses. There was one question swirling in his mind now, one he couldn’t help spitting with a certain degree of venom.

“And Grian?”

“Grian?” Scar repeated with surprise. “What about him?”

Cub pursed his lips. Did he have to spell it out? He gesticulated in the air vaguely.

“You… talk about him a lot. All the time, actually.”

Scar leaned back so he could observe Cub better, his eyes darting over the form like he was skimming a book searching for a certain passage. Then, his eyes crinkled and he smiled slyly.

“Well, he is my neighbour. We bonded over tea and talking about how our _respective boyfriends_ are too busy working on mega projects to pay attention to us. And about a dozen pranks.”

Cub felt a certain lift in his heart when he heard those words and it bubbled to the surface in a hysterical giggle. Scar watched him, the smile still dancing on his lips, and this time neither was quite sure who initiated the crash of lips. How _stupid_ he’d been. How jealous, how superficial.

And yet, Scar still loved him.

All was right in the world, diamonds or no.


End file.
